The Esperanza

Launched in February 2002, the Esperanza is the largest vessel in the Greenpeace fleet. And Esperanza – Spanish for "hope" – is the first Greenpeace ship to be named by our supporters.

History

The ship is the fourth of 14 fire-fighting vessels ordered by the Russian government between 1983 and 1987 from Stocznia Polnocna construction yard in Gdansk, Poland. Heavy ice class and speed were one of the requirements.

The Esperanza was one of 14 similar vessels commissioned by the Russian government and used by the Russian Navy as a fire-fighting ship in Murmansk.

Lack of funds saw the ship laid up for some years in the late 80s,then sold a couple of times, finally working in Norway as a supply vessel.

At 72 metres length, and a top speed of 16 knots, the ship is ideal for fast and long range work.

The ship's ice class status means it can also work in polar regions.

It has taken many months to refit the ship in as environmentally friendly way as possible and these improvements include: the removal or safe containment of all asbestos; fitting a special fuel system to avoid spillage; newly fitted, more efficient, diesel electric propulsion; on board recycling of waste water, leaving only clean water pumped overboard; a waste based heating system; bilge water purifiers,15 times more effective than current legislation demands; TBT-free hull paint; ammonia based refrigeration and air-conditioning rather than climate changing and ozone depleting Freon gas - the first Dutch registered vessel to be so fitted; and an environmentally and economically efficient propulsion system to reduce CO2 emissions.

In addition, standard Greenpeace operating equipment has also been fitted. A new helicopter deck has been added, as well as special boat cranes to launch the inflatables.

The latest updates

This morning, while most of the Netherlands was still asleep, my colleague Nilus and I - along with dozens of Greenpeace activists - slipped into Rotterdam’s port facilities. The temperature is just eight degrees celsius, my first time...

Beirut, 27 August 2016 – The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is today in the Port of Beirut for the first time in history to host a press conference and launch the “Sun unites us” Mediterranean tour which will highlight the massive potential for...

It was a sunny afternoon in April when the Esperanza left port in Madagascar six weeks ago. Its mission: to hunt down Thai Union's destructive fishing operations in the Indian Ocean.
Perhaps because of everything achieved since then...

Deployed in their thousands and killing non-target species in their millions, fish aggregating devices ( FADs ) are a scourge to our oceans, devastating marine life to supply companies like Thai Union.
Made up of nets, metal and...

Being in the middle of the Indian Ocean at night is incredible: you feel the vastness of the sea around you, the raw power of the waves, and the thick darkness.
Now imagine from miles away, you see a glowing mass on the horizon. As...